Reality and Fiction
by GokaiYellow
Summary: Claire “Lara” Tsai is trapped in a small town that talks non-stop about Twilight. Her life takes a turn when her aunt and uncle relocate to Forks. Just when life couldn’t get any freakier, the thing she hates starts to intermingle with her world.
1. Chapter 1: Plasticsville

Note: I do not know for a fact if Hollister is a trend crazy town-I just picked a random town name that popped into my head. If you are from there or know otherwise, sorry!

Chapter 1: Plasticsville

You know that teen flick about the girl from Africa who has a run-in with the group called the Plastics? I'm pretty convinced they came in and installed the never ending cycle of 21st century trends that my town, Hollister (yeah, like the beach wear store) thrives on. (Speaking of which, the movie is still huge here. What's wrong with this picture? The movie debuted in 2004.)

Walking up the steps to my high school, I brush past a stream of cool chicks carrying their designer purses and gabbing away about the hottest gossip. "Oh my God!" bursts out one girl to her friends, "I can't believe that Bella would totally choose Edward over Jacob! I mean, c'mon! Edward ditched her and…" Her comment started a chain reaction and her friends picked sides. Out of sight, I rolled my eyes and pretended to shoot myself in the head. Dear God, why this town? Yet I wasn't free from the debating discussions of vampires and werewolves. The halls were crowded with the buzz about the newest book Breaking Dawn and the supposed film adaptation due.

I sucked my breath in and picked up the pace. Just 5 more steps to homeroom and salvation from this. Once I slid into my seat, I scanned the room and sighed unhappily. Okay, I wasn't safe. Nowhere in this town was I free from the gossip circulating around _Twilight_. Girls were wearing the ever popular t-shirts donning the phrases "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob" that Donny Mack was selling in his bookshop. Boys were grumbling about their girlfriends' obsessions over fictional boys instead of them. Others talked about the new movie and the possible actor list for each character. Oy vey.

"Okay guys and gals," the voice of my teacher Mr. Saw interrupted the class. He clapped his hands to get our attention. "Time to focus in here at the front! Now, today's assignment, you will be working toward an inspirational piece. It can be artwork, a video, a dance, rap, song, whatever you want to come up with. I need you to pick a topic to base your project on and it will be due in 2 weeks from today. Make it fun okay?" I perked up a little. Song? I could do that. In the comforts of my bedroom I wrote my own songs about life as I saw it and whatever else I felt like writing about. No one really knew that I was doing that, well except for my uncle and aunt who sensed I had a creative streak at age 7.

Lunch arrived and I picked a shady tree to sit under. "Lara!" a girl's voice called out. I looked up to see my best friend, Cassandra Ares running up to me. Cassandra and I met at the boardwalk in Santa Monica when we were 4 years old. When we found out that we both lived in Hollister, we became best buds ever since. My casual smile faded as soon as I saw her wearing the generic t-shirt with the _Twilight_ logo on it. I quickly bit into my apple and chewed it as fast as I possibly could. I had a sneaky suspicion what today's lunch conversation was going to entail. Oh boy. Not.

"Lara," she breathed as she crossed her legs, "I was talking to Jenny Moore in Bio and we both agreed on one thing."

"Oh yeah?" I asked as I took another bite of my apple, "What did you agree on?"

Cassandra smiled lightly before she bubbled, "Jenny thinks you are like Bella Swan. And I totally agree with her!" At those words, I spit out my apple and tossed it into the trash bin. Now I felt ready to hurl.

"Yuck," I muttered as I sat back down, "There are no similarities between us Cass. I'm Asian, she's white and pale as a piece of paper."

"I didn't mean physically," she remarked laughing, "I know that! I meant personality and such." I made a face and shook my head no. I knew what she was like and I knew that I shared absolutely nothing in common with her. Period.

By now you are probably wondering how I even know about Bella Swan if I hate _Twilight_ so much. Okay, well let's start from the beginning. When it made its big debut, I curiously checked out _Twilight_ from the public library to see if it was any good. After completing the novel, I felt like my brain had turned to rot. Honestly, the plot was dry and weak. Bella was whiny and Edward was not what I'd call a Prince Charming any day. Ignoring a girl you like just because you couldn't put her life at risk? Pathetic. The novel failed to charm me like the rest of the town who immediately glommed onto it with gusto. Donny began carrying the books and merchandise in his shop and his wife made fan-made t-shirts, bags, and what-not for the store. Soon, the town was in love with vampires and werewolves. And how did I know that Jacob was a werewolf? After New Moon came out, a girl in my English class did her book report on it, spilling all the details.

"Cass," I told her firmly as I picked up my book bag, "Don't ever compare me again to her. I hate this stuff and you know it." Before she could say anything else, I turned and left to go to my last two classes. Two more classes until I'm safely in the doorway of my normal home.


	2. Chapter 2: Surprise? I Think Not

Chapter 2: Surprise? I Think Not.

As soon as that bell rang to signal that another long day of school was over, I scooted around the corner as fast I could, pausing only for 5 minutes to pick up my Chemistry book for a test tomorrow. People were sluggish to leave the class especially those who woke up from their slumber during 6th period.

My house was about 2 blocks away from the school. All you had to do was turn right from the school, cross the street, whip around the corner, walk past 6 houses, and voila! My aunt and uncle's house.

So where the heck are my parents? Great question. Dad's working oversees in England for a stuffy corporation there and my mom is in an asylum. Apparently, Mom was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and she at one point held me by my ankles at age 3 in a grocery store over the sink for the floral department. Oops. Dad was too wrapped up in work to come and take custody of me so he arranged for me to live in Hollister with his sister (aka my Aunt June) and Uncle Bobby. Goes to show you how great my folks are. (Note the sarcasm dripping from my voice). It didn't matter since I liked Aunt June and Uncle Bobby better than awkward silence with my dad.

"Hey June," I called out to my aunt as I dropped my bookbag on the floor, "I'm back." Aunt June hates being called Auntie or even being referred to as an aunt so she and I agreed on a first name basis. Bobby felt the same way since he argued that Bobby was more casual and relaxed.

"I'm home too!" Bobby pretended to seem hurt as he called back from the kitchen. I smiled lightly and walked in to see June and Bobby sitting at the kitchen table with their coffee mugs in their hands. Something was up since Bobby never came home early except if there was an emergency or if he was going on a holiday.

"You're home early," I remarked as I took a seat across from them, "So what's the occasion?"

Bobby looked at June and she gave him a look accompanied by an arm nudge. He cleared his throat and began. "Lara, my boss walked into my cubicle and told me that the Hollister branch was getting full." He paused to let his words sink in before continuing. "She didn't want to let go of me so she spoke with the branch up in Washington. They talked for a bit and the director of the firm there said that they were in desperate need of good employees."

"In other words, we're moving," I finished for him, "I'm fine with that-really! I really didn't have a tight circle of friends to begin with so I'm not missing much." Bobby beamed and June sighed in relief.

"We thought it came at the right time too," June added brightly, "I know you've been cooped up in this little busybody town for too long and I think a fresh change of scenery would do you some good." I nodded since June too wasn't obsessed with trends like this town was. She was a classy type with her own strong mind and didn't like the outlandish fads too much.

"So," I pondered, "What town is the company located in? Seattle? Olympia?"

Bobby allowed himself an amused smile, "Strange name for a town but its called 'Forks,' Washington. What do you think of that?" I bit my tongue to hold back my criticism of the place we were moving to. The iron taste of blood flowed into my mouth and I forced an amused look. Forks. It was the same stupid town that Bella moans over when she moves to it and yadda yadda. What great luck I had. Not.


	3. Chapter 3: Good Day Miss

Chapter 3: Good Day Miss…

In just 3 days, all of our items were packed up and loaded into a U-Haul truck headed to Forks, Washington. Mr. Saw seemed disappointed to see me go and he wished me luck in my new town. Cassandra and I had spent the entire day together yesterday, walking past Donny Mack's Book and Tourist Shop and the coffee shop with the plushy seats of velvet.

"So," whispered Cassandra mournfully, "This is it, I guess." I nodded grimly as I shoved my hands in my pockets and let the silence stretch.

"I know you didn't want to hear another thing about you and Bella Swan," Cassandra began slowly, "But for me, could I list off the similarities I see?" I sighed grudgingly and permitted her to begin. Besides, this was probably going to be the last time I'd hear her babbling about this nonsense for a very long time. She brightened a little as she ticked the facts off on her fingers.

"Well," she mused, "You both have dark hair. You both hate dances. Both of you act a bit distant at times, almost in another world. You're moving to Forks like she is. You don't go by your real names. There." I stared back at her and almost said something then I bit my tongue and held my criticism in.

"Except all she did was kick the first 3 letters of Isabella off to make Bella," I remarked, "I rather omitted letters and added them. Claire doesn't easily make Lara on omissions alone." Cassandra smiled a little and looked fondly onwards. I felt that Claire was the most unsuitable name you could have given me since I look nothing like a Claire. Once I turned 7, I started calling myself 'Lara' since it sounded more casual and fitting for me.

Cassandra stopped a few feet short of the ice cream shop and turned to face me. "Promise me that you'll e-mail me at least every other day and IM on Facebook every week?"

I smiled and we shook hands on it. "It's a deal," I told her as we went in.

Yesterday seemed like a blur as we touched ground in Olympie. June woke up and Bobby quit making funny faces at her sleeping form. He winked as she rubbed her eyes and I suppressed a giggle. Bobby was a grown-up kid at heart-he played jokes on June and swapped ridiculous jokes and riddles with friends and family. He was a better father figure to me than my pathetic excuse of a father in England.

The process of collecting my suitcase, obtaining the rental car, and arriving at our hotel hadn't registered in my mind at all. June called down to the desk for a spa treatment since travel wears her out and Bobby went to go call the boss of the Forks branch he would be working for. With my laptop, wallet, and jacket armed in hand, I walked across the street to the nearby plaza which had a coffee place within it.

A bell on the door tinkled as I entered and I realized that it wasn't very crowded at all. A young couple sat in the corner chatting away and an elderly man read the New York Times.

The young clerk perked up as I placed my order. As he was handing me my change, he leaned on his elbows and asked, "So, are you from La Push? I know I haven't seen anyone like you around here before." I blinked at him and raised my eyebrows.

"Hollister, California is more like it," I replied slowly, "I'm not Native American, I'm Asian." As soon as I said that, the boy flustered and promptly apologized. Was it because of my tan skin that he thought that I was a La Push resident? Yeesh!

The hot chocolate burned my throat as I logged onto my Internet provider and clicked on my Facebook home page. Cassandra had updated her status to: _Cassandra is depressed because her BFF moved to Forks._ Underneath it, 20 people had responded to her status. Much of the comments were, "Forks! I wanna be there!" or "Seriously? The Forks?" or something else related to the matter. Not one single comment was aimed at me since people didn't care who it was but the fact that the person moved to the infamous Forks, Washington. Go figure.

I sighed heavily as I shut down my laptop and stuffed into my bag. Taking the remnants of my hot chocolate, I left the coffee shop. Before I turned the corner to exit the plaza I walked straight into someone. My hot chocolate splashed upwards and landed on the person I collided into. Whoops.

"I'm very sorry about that," I moaned as I fished some napkins out of my bag, "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." A pale hand took the napkins from my hand and dabbed the hot chocolate off his hands and pants. My eyes traveled up the hand's arm to a pale face with blonde hair and green eyes.

"It's alright ma'am," he replied with a slight Southern twang, "I'm guilty too of not looking where I'm going. So I guess that makes two of us." He took the soggy napkins and tossed them into a nearby trash can. "You look like you're new," he began lightly. He stuck his hand out and smiled a little, "My name's Jasper. Jasper Cullen."


	4. Chapter 4: Curiouser and Curiouser

Chapter 4: Curiouser and Curiouser

I blinked in amazement. Was this guy for real? He thought he was Jasper Cullen? Sure, he looked like him but obviously, it was just some fan probably hoping to serenade some chicks with the appearance.

"Okay," I slowly replied, "Hi? I'm Lara?" I took his hand and awkwardly shook it. His hand felt like I was touching a block of ice. "Wear gloves often?" I asked after I let go. Jasper shook his head no and blushed slightly.

"Uh I forgot them today," he drawled gloomily, "Would have been a good idea I guess." He shoved his hands in his coat pockets and uneasily stared at his feet. "So, where are you from?" he asked as he looked up, "Somewhere warm? You look like you lived some where with a beach."

"Hollister, California," I answered amusedly, "Like the tacky, beachwear store."

"Huh?" Jasper asked as he contorted his face to a look of confusion, "I don't know what that is I'm afraid." I allowed myself a small grin and shrugged.

"It's okay, just forget it," I replied quickly, "You're not missing anything, trust me." Jasper smiled a bit and I forced a smile back. I was starting to get a little freaked out from standing here and talking to a roleplayer. Honestly, I was happy to consider escaping to my hotel room where I'd be walled up from people my age. Looking at my watch, I pretended to look surprised.

"Shoot!" I remarked unhappily, "I've gotta get back before my aunt and uncle flip out and call the cops to report I'm missing. Nice meeting you, uh, Jasper." Jasper looked slightly surprised and he mumbled something about getting home too.

"Alice will come searching for me if I'm gone too long," Jasper added quickly, "I doubt that having Carlisle form a search party for me is on her list of things to do today." He smiled and took my hand in his. I stared back at his piercing green eyes which met mine for a split second before breaking their gaze. He lifted my hand to his lips and gently pressed them to the top of my hand. Nerves in my body stung my insides violently as soon as his cold lips touched my hand. Geez. He straightened up and fixed his tie before walking around me toward the plaza. Weird kid…

* * *

"Do you need one of us to drive you to the school?" asked June as we sat down to a buffet breakfast. I shook my head no since I checked out my new school after my run in with the Jasper clone. It was about 3 blocks away from the hotel we were staying in so walking was my first choice.

"I found it yesterday," I answered as I polished off some toast, "I asked the hotel front desk and they gave me directions. Well, I'm off." Before June could say anything else, I took off and made 2 of the walking lights before being stopped by the 3rd one. I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for the light to change. Just as the light turned, I took a step into the crosswalk only to quickly take it back as a car sharply rounded the corner. A shiny Mercedes with a copper-haired male at the wheel whipped past and paid no attention to me at all. How rude!

"Jerk," I growled under my breath, "Stupid showoff…" Students shuffled in slowly and I pushed my way through the crowds to the office which was marked by a sign hanging over the doorway.

* * *

"Everyone," began the principal, "I'd like you to meet our new student. She just transferred here from Hollister, California. This is Claire Tsai." Sleepy students perked up at the introduction and started acknowledging my presence.

"I actually go by Lara," I corrected the principal. She nodded faintly before talking to my homeroom teacher and leaving me standing like a dork in front of the class. Oy vey. My new teacher named Ms. Crenshaw had me talk about Hollister and the differences between Forks and Hollister. Some girls bubbled over how much they loved the clothing brand and said I was lucky to live in the town they named it after. Uh huh. Sure. Lucky me.

"There's an empty seat by Alyson and Mike," Ms. Crenshaw remarked, "Raise your hands you two." Mike nodded in a cool way to acknowledge who he was and Alyson held her hand up. I grimly took my seat beside them. Mike leaned in closer with a confident smile on his face and held out his hand.

"Hey there," he said smoothly, "I'm Mike Newton. So California huh? You surf a lot? Did you live in bikinis and shorts every day there?" Alyson reached over and hit him hard. Mike winced and Alyson rolled her eyes.

"Ignore him," Alyson told me, "He acts like that when Bella's around." I nodded firmly as my stomach bubbled violently. I was experiencing déjà vu major here. Mike Newton? Wasn't that the guy that pursued Bella romantically? And Bella? Did that mean Bella Swan was all of a sudden in existence with my world? I was seriously hoping that this was a bad dream or that these kids were just joking with me.

"I'm Alyson but I go by Sonny," Alyson introduced herself, snapping me out my trance. I grasped her hand and shook it. She rolled her eyes and quickly added, "And no I'm not on that new show Sonny with a Chance. No relation-I had the nickname before the show."

"Claire Tsai but Lara is what I go by," I replied. I smiled slightly over her comment about her name. When the Generation Girl Barbie dolls came out, people commented on the French doll named, yes you got it, Lara. That sucked.

Classes droned on with the same funny stares and comments. It turned out that Mike was in my third period class and he introduced me to some chick named Jessica Stanley. She introduced herself almost too sweetly that it made me ready to hurl. I vaguely remembered that she was hated and snotty so I was very curt around her. Mental Note: check with Cassandra about these people so I know who to befriend and who to avoid.

"Come sit with us," Mike casually invited me, "Jessica will be there, and you'll like Angela and Ben."

"Thanks but I've made plans to hang with Sonny already," I answered quickly, "Maybe some other day?" Mike looked crestfallen but he said sure. Jessica caught up with him and they started gabbing.

"Where's Bella?" asked Mike as Jessica walked with him. Jessica pursed her lips and smirked.

"Where do you think?" she retorted cattily, "With the Cullens." That last remark made me nearly freeze in my tracks and stop all that was going on. The Cullens. Now this had to be a dream. As I walked over to where Sonny was, I blinked a few times and sadly realized that it was real. Drat."

"Hey there," Sonny greeted me as she looked up from her book. She nodded at Mike's retreating figure. "He tried to have you join them?"

"Yes, but I already made plans with you," I replied as I sat down, "Besides I don't fit with his crew." Sonny shrugged as she chewed her banana. She swallowed and leaned in.

"I think Mike likes you," Sonny warned me, "He hasn't attached himself to someone ever since Bella transferred here. He's a junior by the way if you are looking for an older man."

I winced and shook my head no violently. "I'm a sophomore," I answered, "That is sad that he doesn't know that. I don't really like guys who act all cool and god-like. Jessica creeps me out since she seems like she's too nice."

Sonny agreed, "Yeah, I'm a sophomore too. I agree, Jessica is too nice to seem real. She's the school gossip so watch your step. She mainly gossips about the Cullen family."

"The Cullen family," I repeated nearly ready to hurl. Dear God why me?

"Yep," Sonny confirmed, "Their dad is the town's head doctor and he's really handsome for a father. They're super rich and drive really nice, exotic cars. They eat over there." Sonny jabbed her thumb to her right to a table where a group of pale-skinned teens sat and chatted. Only one of them was eating and she didn't look like she was part of their family. A copper-haired boy sitting next to the girl eating talked into her ear while the rest of them chatted with their seatmate. A beautiful model-like girl listened to her blonde muscled seatmate, hanging on his every word. The final pair was a red-headed girl who was bubbly making small talk with the tall, blonde haired boy beside her. Wait a second, he looked familiar.

Sonny leaned closer to me as she pointed them out to me from a distance. "Those two right there are Rosalie and Emmett. Rosalie's kinda mean but Emmett's funny. Okay and that copper-haired guy? That's Edward and the girl he's talking to is Bella Swan. She's not part of their family, she dates Edward I think."

"That guy nearly ran me over this morning," I recalled angrily, "I was crossing the street and he didn't even give me the right of way-he just rounded the corner without looking for pedestrians!"

Sonny gave me a sympathetic look before continuing, "That perky red-head? That's Alice, she's sweet. And that's Jasper, he's a real gentleman." I felt my insides freeze up as she said those words. Jasper. Did that mean that kid was the cold-skinned, Southern twang boy I ran into the day before? Alice finished conversing with Jasper and looked past him at Sonny and I. Whoops. Spotted.

I lowered my gaze and ate faster. I could feel Jasper's eyes on me and I didn't dare look up. Sonny blinked and closed her book.

"Well this is interesting," she announced, "He's headed right for us."

"Maybe he has to use the restroom," I mumbled as I stuffed my books into my bag quickly.

"Uh no," Sonny answered, "He's looking at you Lara. He's walking right toward you." Oh boy, just my luck.

"Sorry Sonny," I apologized quickly, "Forgive me, I just remembered that needed my Chemistry book and I've got to get it now. See you tomorrow!" Sonny waved goodbye and I jetted out of there as fast as my legs could carry me. Unfortunately, Jasper had caught up to me once out of the lunch room and cleared his throat. Damn.

"You left fast," he remarked, "You didn't really need your Chemistry book. I can tell." I turned to face him and met an amused boy standing before me with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What do you want?" I asked warily, "Are you stalking me? Is this some kind of joke?"

"What do you mean by a joke?" Jasper asked me.

"Once I set foot in this town I've been experiencing déjà vu," I shot back, "Everyone I've run into I know is not real and that they exist in books. How is it that people I'm meeting are saying that they are book characters are beyond me?" Jasper's face clouded with concern and he creased his eyebrows.

"Book?" he replied puzzled, "What book? I'm not playing a character; I'm Jasper Cullen, a real live person." Just I thought, my world had broken the barrier between reality and fiction and had merged with each other. Oh man.


	5. Chapter 5: Take a Hike Mike!

Chapter 5: Take a Hike, Mike!

The week seemed to never end. I had come to the sad realization that my world had mixed with the fictional realm of _Twilight_. Yet it puzzled me as to how it was even possible. Unless we're talking something like that film Stranger Than Fiction, then yeah I was at a blank.

Mike tried to have me join Jessica and the crew for lunch for the rest of the week. Sonny helped me bail out of that situation by claiming that I was tutoring her in Chemistry since she "failed" her last test. Mike swallowed it hook, line, and sinker and kept his distance. After Sonny took her next Chemistry test that Friday, I couldn't use the excuse that I was tutoring her at lunch anymore. Instead, I used my recent art project as my new reason. Since I was painting an Impressionist piece with oil paint, I explained that I had to get it finished so it would all dry at about the same time. Dejectedly, Mike slumped his shoulders and said ok.

"I'm sorry that he keeps hounding you," Sonny told me sympathetically as she watched me paint, "But he is so thick-headed! I'm thinking that he can't take a hint."

"Naturally," I remarked as I worked on a dark area, "He's too caught up in his status as a god to let anyone reject him. He's a narcissist." Sonny smiled and agreed on that note. She fiddled with her ribbon, washer-link choker for a while and cleared throat after an elongated silence.

"How long do you think it's going to take for him to leave you alone?" Sonny asked, "I mean, he hasn't left Bella alone entirely and you're heading down that path."

"If my actions can't spell it out for him, then I'll just bring in my stereo and blast Lily Allen's Knock 'Em Out through the lunch hall," I joked brightly as I turned to face Sonny. Sonny started cracking up and I smiled too. Even though no friend could replace Cassandra, Sonny was becoming my Forks BFF. She wasn't into trends and popularity like Mike's crew was. She was eclectic and random at the same time. We both loved Lily Allen and Paramore and hated rap music.

Saturday found me at the same coffee shop across from my hotel. The boy who waited on me the first time, I found out that his name was Jack and he took the liberty of waiting on me all the time. My nickname from him was Hollister girl which I allowed him to call me even though it sounded too preppy for me.

"Hey Hollister girl!" he warmly greeted me, "The usual or something different?"

"I hate to do this to you," I apologized, "But today I could go for a black tea with milk please." Jack smiled and told me it was no problem. As soon as I paid my bill, I picked a table in the corner to set up my laptop. "Please be on right now," I whispered to myself as the Facebook chat room popped open. Jack brought me my tea and patted me on the shoulder before leaving to wait on the rest of the customers. Sure enough, Cassandra was on. I typed to her in a new window quickly in case she was planning to leave.

**Lara**: Cass! You're on.

Cassandra answered promptly as soon as my comment posted itself.

**Cassandra**: BFF! I miss you mucho!! Hollister is so empty without you! How's Forks?

**Lara**: Okay. I met a girl named Sonny-she'd totally fit in with the two of us. I wish you could meet her.

**Cassandra**: Nice name- I'd love to meet her some day. So what's up?

**Lara**: I need to ask you for some character descriptions of _Twilight_ people. Some people at my school kind of act like them but I'm not sure. Help?

**Cassandra**: Definitely! How funny though! Who are you asking about?

"Perfect," I whispered as I typed in Mike, Jessica, Jasper, and Edward to my comment. Cassandra answered in a flash with this: _Mike Newton is the mortal who falls in love with Bella but she rejects him. He's a nice guy but extremely clueless. Jessica Stanley is bubbly and popular. She befriends Bella for popularity reasons and tends to gossip a lot. Jasper Hale/Cullen is a vampire that was converted during the Civil War. He used to feed off of human blood until he met Alice and they joined the Cullen family. He struggles with the vegetarian diet of animal blood only. Edward Cullen was turned into a vampire after his mother pleaded Carlisle to save her sick son. He acts cold and smooth yet he is passionate with Bella. _I sat back in my chair and sipped my tea. Bingo. I was right about Mike and Jessica. Jessica was safe to avoid and Mike needed to be told to step off. Period. As I was finishing my sip of tea, the door to the coffee shop opened and guess who, Mike walked in. Oh boy.

**Lara**: Cass, I need to go! Stupid person is stalking me and I need to tell him to step off. Hasta la vista!

**Cassandra**: Good luck with that! Bye chika!

I closed my laptop and shut it down just as Mike spotted me. I busied myself with my bag as he took the seat next to me.

"Lara!" he said brightly, "I had no idea you hung out here!"

"Yep," I answered briskly. All I just wanted him to do was to get out of my face. Now.

"So uh," he began, "Are you taken for the Homecoming dance yet? 'Cause I was thinking-"

"I'm busy actually," I cut off firmly, "We're moving into our house that week so I'll be busy helping my aunt and uncle out." Mike looked taken aback by my response but he came back with another suggestion.

"You busy Sunday?" he mused, "Because I was thinking that we could-"

I shook my head violently no as I stood up to leave. "Mike," I told him flatly, "You're a junior. I'm a sophomore. Yeah. Bet you didn't know that." I paused to let my words sink in before continuing. "I'm not interested in you. I see you as a nice classmate but that's it. Nothing more."

Mike's mouth opened then he closed it quickly. "But love has no age limit," he persisted, "It could work out. I think-" All of a sudden, a pair of strong, warm arms wrapped themselves around me and pulled me closer. I looked up to see that the strong arms belonged to a tall, tan-skinned boy with short, spiky hair. He had the face of a boy with strong cheekbones and beautiful, rich, chocolate brown eyes.

"Hey!" the boy spoke in a deep voice, "Are you hitting on my girlfriend Mike?" I pretended to go along with the charade but inside I was thinking, _Since when did he decide to claim he's my boyfriend? _ Mike backed up and blinked.

"I had no idea that you two were dating, Jacob," Mike sputtered, "I thought you had some lovesick crush on Bella still." Jacob's eyes hardened at the mention of Bella's name.

"No," he flatly answered, "We're friends. Besides, she's dating him." He added an extra emphasis on the word him. Jacob rested his head on top of my hair and he coolly announced, "Stay away from her okay? If I catch you trying to hit on her again, you're dead meat." Mike scowled and turned to leave. Jacob uncoiled his arms around me and took my hand as he led me out the door of the coffee shop. Unlike Jasper's ice block of a hand, it was the stark opposite: hot, like a fireplace.

Mike was nowhere to be seen as we made it outside. Jacob released my hand and turned to face me.

"Thanks for getting me out of that pickle," I told him gratefully, "He wasn't taking a hint and I considered breaking into a rejection song." Jacob smiled at that and allowed a small chuckle. His smile was warm and welcoming, lighting up the rest of his face. I held my hand out to begin proper introductions, "I'm Claire Tsai but everyone calls me Lara."

Jacob grasped my hand and shook it. "Jacob. Jacob Black."


	6. Chapter 6: Alice Saw You Coming

Hey guys! Sorry to make all of you wait! Finals came up so I had to stop everything I was doing and buckle down major. So, I drew a picture based on an event that happened in the last chapter. Because refuses to show the entire url link, I'll PM it to you if you are interested in seeing it. It's Jacob x Lara when Jacob tells Mike off.

And I did decide to keep the title _Reality and Fiction_. Thanks for the suggestions-I really appreciated your imput.

* * *

Chapter 6: Alice Saw You Coming

So how did I leave it with Jacob? He gave me his cell number in case Mike decided to pester me again. I could simply call him if it was serious or talk to him to scare off Mike. Once he told me his last name, I felt sick knowing that my weird theory was complete. Just how this all happened, was beyond me still.

Cassandra heard from me again soon after I speed walked to the hotel room. I immediately lined up my stats on Jacob Black and cringed. Man, were my odds sucky. I crossed paths with a vampire, human, and werewolf all in one solid week. Yeesh. It didn't help when Cassandra reminded me that vampires and werewolves were bitter towards each other. Man, whatever happened to vampires being respected by wolves in the Darren Shan saga?

Sunday had June, Bobby, and I moving into our new house. Much to my displeasure, I came to realize that we lived across the street from a huge mansion-style house. It looked out of place in comparison to our typical suburban home across from it. Bobby watched the movers with careful eyes while June made phone calls to the moving company about misplacing some of our belongings. Oh geez. The movers had already put my bed against the wall and my drawers parallel to it. I rather liked my new room since it was medium-sized and had a window seat. Clambering onto the window seat, I hugged my legs to my chest as I watched the spectacle below. June had gotten off the phone and was now talking to a beautiful, petite woman who appeared almost out of nowhere. Her husband emerged from the garage of the mansion and walked over to greet my uncle and aunt. They talked for a few moments before the man looked over his shoulder and called out to someone. Then three boys came from different directions and joined their parents. They shook hands with my aunt and uncle before picking up boxes and heading inside with them. What the…?

I felt my hairs stick up on ends and then, a soft knock came at my door. "Um," I stalled, "Its open." The knob turned and a huge box entered through the doorway. The boy behind it put the box down and met my eyes.

"Boy," he began lightly, "What do you have in there? A corpse or something?" I shook my head no as I approached him.

"I think it's my drum set," I told him as I pried the lid open, "Yeah it is."

"You're a drummer?" the boy asked me rather amused, "You don't look like a drummer-actually a guitar player to me." I shrugged as I closed the lid quickly and looked up at his pale face.

"I do play acoustic guitar but I use the drums for the background beats in my music I record," I explained, "I record them first then I go back and add guitar and singing. Sometimes I'll program the computer keyboard to play like an electric if I feel it's necessary." The boy smiled as he ran and hand through his short, blonde hair.

"I'm Emmett, your new neighbor," he began as he held out his hand, "You gotta play for me sometime, okay?"

"Sure," I promised, "I'm Claire Tsai but everybody calls me Lara." Emmett shook my hand and I felt a similar sensation as I had shaking Jasper's hand. Yeow.

"So uh, you'll meet my brothers in a bit," Emmett remarked as he dropped his hand, "They're carrying in stuff too."

"You've made June's day," I replied politely, "That's her dream-having strong, handsome men carry in her things. I actually know one of your brothers, Jasper."

Emmett cracked up at my earlier comment before answering, "Oh so you know each other? Wait, I think Jasper mentioned you-that you spilled cocoa on him when he walked into you." My face warmed and I mumbled that indeed it was me. Joy. Not how one should be remembered. Emmett smiled a little and stuck his head out my door. "Edward!" he called out into the hall, "Hey, meet our new neighbor." I could hear a boy mumble something back and the sound of a box going _thunk_ on the floor.

I stiffened as the boy approached me. He held out a pale hand and I shook it wearily. He smiled slightly and I knew that he seemed familiar-the jerk who nearly ran me over.

"You nearly ran me over on Monday," I flatly announced to him as soon as he dropped my hand. Edward's face contorted and he blinked.

"Oh?" he began, "Sorry about that. I was late that morning and I kind of broke all the traffic regulations trying to get there." Emmett slapped his brother on the back and crowed over how reckless Edward was. Boys…

Edward picked up the box and continued his task while Emmett left me to grab another box. I stood out in the hallway until I saw another box make its way up the stairs.

"Hello Lara," drawled a familiar voice as he put down the box, "So, you're my neighbor huh?" I nodded stiffly since I really couldn't find words to even describe how I felt. At this point, I felt like a nightmare had come to life and pushed its way into existence. Jasper put the box down, dusted his hands off, and gave me a smile.

"So uh," Jasper began, "You mentioned that you thought I was a book character and somehow came into your world?"

"Yeah," I answered suspiciously, "What about that?"

Jasper pushed his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels before continuing. "Alice, my sister," he continued, "Actually foresaw all of this happening. She knows what you're talking about, the book I mean. Apparently, it exists in other places aside from Forks. Like, your Hollister. But because you couldn't stand it, I guess everything started to spill into the real world once you got here."

I took a step back from Jasper at his words. Honestly, was he for real? He was saying that God planned this? To shove me closer to a book series I severely hated? What sense did that make?

"Alice saw you in a vision coming here and running into me," he finished, "Then she obtained a copy of the book in Oregon. She couldn't find it here, so…that's my theory on why you seemed surprised to see me as a living, breathing person standing before you. Your book doesn't exist here in Forks, but in its place, you are living amongst us." He studied my face which was turning a nasty shade of over milked coffee. He couldn't be right, no way. My head began to spin and I felt myself falling. All I could hear was my name before seeing nothing.


	7. Chapter 7:You're Not Hot But You're Cold

Chapter 7: You're Not Hot but You're Cold

"Lara?" swirled the familiar drawl in my mind as I felt the darkness thin before my eyes. I pried my eyes open weakly to see June worriedly looking at me with her hand pressed to her lips, Bobby rubbing her shoulders, Jasper inches away from my face, and a handsome man, probably his father peering at me expertly. Oy vey…

The man straightened up and smiled at June and Bobby. "She's going to be just fine, June and Bobby," he announced pleasantly, "I think she had a shock spell and fell but nothing more than that. Maybe its just stress, that's all." He turned to face Jasper and patted him on the back. Bobby quickly thanked Jasper for catching me and June cried out what a dear he was.

"Now," the man continued as he pushed June and Bobby out of my room, "I'd suggest she get to bed earlier than usually, plenty of fluids…" His voice carried down the stairs and into the living room. Jasper remained rooted where he was standing and fixated his eyes on me.

"Why are you staring at me?" I dryly asked as his green eyes locked on me, "It's freaking me out." Jasper blinked and the spell was broken.

"You had me scared out of my wits, Lara," he drawled worriedly, "I saw you wobble and go down and I caught you as fast as I could. Carlisle just checked you over to make sure nothing was broken."

I sat up and stretched a bit. "Thank you." That was it.

He sat down beside me and slowly guessed, "Was it what I said?"

"It threw me for a loop," I confessed, "I wasn't expecting a response to my outburst earlier that day." Jasper rumpled his hair in frustration and sighed unhappily.

"So, in addition to that book in existence," he murmured, "I'm guessing that you know that I'm not human?"

"That didn't take a genius to figure that out," I smartly replied, "I have my sources who know that book inside and out, plus some hints did help me piece together my situation." Jasper hung his head and gripped my comforter suddenly.

"I struggle with trying to keep myself in check," he weakly confessed, "Even now I'm trying so hard to behave." It hit me like a ton of bricks and I felt ready to double up and hurl. Jasper was lusting for me, my blood and my flesh. Geez… His hand shakily reached up to touch my face and he breathed slowly.

"You smell amazing," he whispered, "If I could right now, I'd taste you without regrets. But, I, I can't keep myself straight." He leaned up and buried his face in close to my hair and my neck. His breath came out in icy blasts across my neck. Ouch. His lips locked onto my neck and lingered for 5 seconds. I felt nerves shoot through my chest rapidly and sharply pinch my skin. Yeow!

Jasper pulled away quickly and apologized for his sudden action. "But I can do that without losing too much control." He stood up and left me alone in my room, closing the door behind me.

Yuck! I felt numb and ridiculously cold. Throwing my comforter covers over my head, I buried myself deep under their warmth. I ignored June's call for dinner and Bobby bribing me with dessert. I wasn't hungry, I was ill with numbness. Why did he have to do that?


	8. Ch8: Sweet Dreams Aren't Made of These

Chapter 8: Sweet Dreams Aren't Made of These

_Stupid Jasper_, I thought miserably as I felt my eyes grow heavy. If he was supposed to be tied down to Alice, then why was he looking in my direction? Did he just see me as a weakling that could be seduced into his trap? My mind wrestled viciously as sleep weighted me down.

_Before my eyes, I saw myself standing on an unfamiliar beach. The sound of a twig snapping behind me made me turn around sharply. There, I saw Jasper, poised over a deer's dying form, his head bent down and over the beast. Traces of blood trickled down the beast's legs and I cringed, slightly nauseous. Even from a distance, I could hear him slurping up the dead deer's blood quickly and thirstily. Sickened by the carnage, I turned to leave the scene only to have him standing right in front of me. _

_As he licked away the lingering drops of blood from the corners of his lips, his green eyes twinkled more fiercely than ever before. In one swift but gentle movement, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to him. "You smell so good," he sighed as he brought me close, "I'm not satisfied yet so…" Before he could make a move, a low snarl erupted from out of nowhere. Jasper looked up to see a large wolf with deep, chocolate brown eyes glaring him down. The russet hair of the wolf stood up as he tensed and he began sprinting towards us. Jasper let me go just as the wolf leapt up in the air and- _

"Gooooood morning Forks!" chirped the radio, "This is DJ Mack…" My hand hit my alarm and I groaned as I wiped away the sleep from my eyes. Geez, even my dreams weren't looking good at all.

"You look out of it," Sonny commented to me as we worked on our grammar assignment, "So did anything happen this weekend?"

"I moved into my new house only to discover that the Cullens are my neighbors," I gloomily replied as I scribbled down the correction to the sentence. Sonny blinked and carefully closed her book.

"Wow," she began, "That's got to be…interesting. How did you find out?"

I blotted out my spelling error as I spoke, "Oh, they came over and helped us put away out things. The boys did not the girls. And on top of that, I fainted and Jasper caught me." Sonny's eyes widened as she quickly asked if I was all right.

"I'm fine," I sighed as we finished the last question, "Just felt a tad woozy I guess."

Sonny shook her head, "Watch out for jealous girls. They'll be all over you if they hear your news. As for Jasper, I can't believe Alice didn't say anything." I cringed as I thought about that. Yeesh, like I needed anything else bothering me…


	9. Chapter 9: Take Him But Leave Me

Chapter 9: Take Him But Leave Me

To get my mind off the strange dream (which Sonny knew nothing about) and to have some fun, I invited Sonny to my house for a sleepover. June was delighted to know that I had a good friend and Bobby cracked some jokes at her. Sonny seemed to enjoy my aunt and uncle so I was safe.

"Even though I hate them for using my nickname for the main character," Sonny said through a mouthful of popcorn, "This is the only funny show that currently exists on the Disney Channel." I nodded my head off as we laughed with Sonny Munroe and her sketches with her co-stars.

"Tawny is so annoying," I flatly remarked as we watched her fly into a rage over the Queen Bee sketch being changed for Bumbling Bees. I reached down into the bowl only to discover that we were out of popcorn.

"I'll go pop some more," I told Sonny as I headed for the door of my bedroom, "Let me know what I missed." Sonny nodded and became engrossed in Sonny trying to reconcile with Tawny by buying her a similar cat plushie.

June spotted me as I came down the stairs with the bowl in hand and she pried the bowl from my fingers. "I'll handle it," she reassured me, "You just go back up there and-" Her words were cut off by the doorbell ringing.

"I'll get it June," I soothingly told her as she started for the door, "Thanks, I've got it under control." June went off to make more popcorn and I unlocked the door only to see my neighbor Alice Cullen at the door.

"Um," I lamely began, "Hi, I'm your neighbor Claire Tsai but everybody calls me Lara." Alice smiled warmly as she shook my hand. She wore gloves rather than her cold-handed brothers Jasper and Emmett. She handed me a box of chocolates which she handed over with her left hand.

"A gift from all of us," she explained, "Chocolates from Switzerland, they're miscellaneous." I took the chocolates from her and smiled brightly. These would be gone in seconds. Bobby was addicted to chocolate and June loved Swiss chocolate.

"Would you like to come inside?" I invited her politely. Alice shook her head no and seemed reluctant. She cleared her throat and began to speak.

"Um, Jasper mentioned that I saw you in a vision," she started to say, "Before you ever came here." I nodded, completely in the dark as to where she was going with this.

"I understand your situation," she continued, "I recently saw you in another vision."

"Does Jasper-"

"No," she quickly replied, "He doesn't know what I saw. If I told him, he wouldn't believe me for a second." She pushed her gloved hands into her pocket before continuing, "I saw you with Jasper and another figure I couldn't make out. It looks like you were being asked to choose one person over the other." She cringed slightly and rocked on her heels. I felt nauseous, like I needed Jasper to be hanging over my head right now.

Bobby came over and greeted Alice who shook hands with him quickly. "Would you like to stay for a while?" asked Bobby, "We're making popcorn." Alice declined politely and answered that she had to leave actually.

"Nice meeting you Lara," she added before she left. As soon as I shut the door, June handed me the popcorn bowl and I rushed back up to my bedroom.

"You missed Sonny telling Tawny off," Sonny announced as I plopped myself down, "But here comes the rap, its really funny!" I smiled and laughed my head off at Sonny's sketch as Tawny watched in horror. But inside, I felt sick. I didn't want Jasper, Alice could have him. No questions asked.


	10. Chapter 10: You Call This Heaven?

Chapter 10: You Call This Heaven?

"Oh Mike!" squealed Jessica as she received his huge offering of flowers, candy, and a cheap-looking teddy bear, "You shouldn't have!" Mike beamed at Jessica's delighted expression before sneaking a glance over at me. I was ignoring the whole deal by listening to my iPod with my docking speakers.

"I found this song after some serious tracking down," I remarked brightly to Sonny as she clicked on the next track. Soon a trembling guitar chord filled the classroom then a boy's smart-alecky voice screamed, "Kick it!" Sonny beamed and bopped along to the guitar-heavy piece.

"Best song by the Beastie Boys," I sighed as we rocked out to Fight For Your Right, "Man, wonder what happened to them." Sonny then piped up the suggestion of searching for the music video since she heard how funny it was. "Great idea," I agreed, "Forget the whole notion of stupid Valentine's Day- this is far more entertaining." Mike sidled on up to us and I rolled my eyes skyward. Joy.

"Do you have Girls?" he asked coolly, "That song is bomb-I mean, its classic." Sonny and I made faces at each other before announcing that I didn't have the song.

"I hate that song," I flatly announced, "Mike D and MCA sound obnoxious in that. Too high pitched and snotty if you ask me." Before Mike could say anything else, the bell rang signaling the end of the period.

"Lame," snorted Sonny as they walked down the hall, "What kind of guy asks for the corny song Girls anyways?"

"The kind that is a sad excuse of a player or a womanizer," I added smartly. The two of us started laughing and Sonny doubled over with laughter. Catching my breath, I straightened up and walked up to my locker. Removing the lock from the door, I swung the door open to find a single, white daisy lying carefully on top of all my books.

"Whoa, lucky you," Sonny remarked cheerfully, "You've got a secret admirer now." I smiled lightly as I removed the daisy from the top of my books. It was definitely a kind thought, whoever did it.

"Lara?" Bobby's voice floated behind me. I turned around and put down my notebook and pen. "We were invited to a social gathering at one of my co-workers' houses. He has a son your age and he invited some of the local kids to come too." I nodded faintly as I stood up. Meaning I was going too. This could get interesting in a not so bad way; that is if Mike doesn't show up magically…

"Bobby, June," Billy happily greeted my aunt and uncle as he shook their hands. He then turned his wheelchair toward me and acknowledged my presence. "A fine daughter, you have," Billy remarked after shaking my hand. He let go and I scooted inside while June and Bobby tried to find a casual way to explain their arrangements with me. Even though they love me like a daughter, some people think that I was adopted from a third world country by them. Yep.

I stepped past groups of work mates chatting about the economy and other miscellany and found a sign on a door marked, "Teen Hangout." Without any difficulty, I pushed the door open to see the room was full of teens, mainly Native American teens. Few looked up when I entered the room and one very tall, very familiar boy stood up to greet me.

"Hey," he brightly remarked, "I had no idea that your dad worked with my dad!" I felt a lump forming in my throat and nerves stung my tear ducts. Damn it. Jacob's face clouded over and he realized that he said something wrong. "I said something wrong didn't I?" he worriedly asked, "I'm, I'm sorry."

"No it's cool," I muttered as I forced away the tears bubbling up in my eyes, "Bobby and June are my aunt and uncle. My dad's overseas and could care less about me and my mom's in an asylum. But honestly, June and Bobby are doing a better job raising me than my father would have done." Jacob watched me as I took an empty seat and he knelt beside me.

"At least you're in good hands," he told me soothingly, "So uh, is Mike giving you trouble still?"

"No," I snorted, "I scared him off by using Fight For Your Right by the Beastie Boys. That song is good for making people raise eyebrows." Jacob started laughing so hard that he sat back on his heels, pounding his fist into his thigh.

"What are you guys laughing about?" came a voice from behind. I looked up to see two younger looking Native American boys standing behind Jacob. One stuck out his hand in a forward manner and introduced himself as Quil. The other boy shyly shook my hand and told me his name was Embry.

"Where's vampire girl? You didn't bring her?" demanded Embry. Jacob reddened and mumbled that he was over her.

"She's devoted to him anyways," Jacob shot back defensively, "Why bother?" There it was again. Him. Meaning Edward and Bella. How sappy could anyone get? Embry shrugged before excusing himself to grab more soda and Quil chased after an attractive girl walking by. Jacob blushed slightly and ran a hand through his hair.

"So, uh," he began sheepishly, "Where were we?" Before I could answer, the sound of a girl's voice calling everyone to attention broke through. A girl that resembled Jacob stood up and announced that they should play 7 Minutes in Heaven.

"Great idea, Becca," chimed in Quil as he scurried back into the room. He zeroed in on me as he asked, "So how are we coordinating this?" Rebecca started collecting objects from the boys and put them into a paper bag. I grimaced and remembered what day it was: Friday the 13th. Boy, was I so unlucky or what?

Rebecca shook the bag and asked for volunteers. Jacob eyed me but remained silent. Quil, loud-mouth he was, announced that because I was the new girl, I should go first. Thanks Quil. You are a pathetic, blockheaded twit of a boy. Rebecca beamed and agreed as she stepped over to me. Jacob gave Quil a look and Quil shrugged at him.

My breath became slower and deeper as I tried to ignore the numerous Native American faces watching as I dug around for something. I felt a piece of what felt like shoe fabric and I lifted it up and out. It was white and ripped very oddly like a powerful impact had pulled the fabric apart like so. I raised my eyebrows in amazement as I turned the fabric piece in my hand.

"Jacob is that yours?" Rebecca asked as she studied the fabric piece, "That's from your last pair of sneakers isn't it?" Everyone in the room started laughing about that incident and I stared at them in confusion. Who in their right mind would rip their sneakers up and keep a piece of the fabric? Weird… Jacob rose to his feet swiftly and Quil pouted unhappily.

"Tough luck Quils," Jacob remarked as he grabbed my hand and led me to his bedroom. The same burning sensation ran through my hand as the first time and I grimaced. Was there anyone who had a normal body heat temperature in this town? He offered me a seat on his bed and I took it.

"So," Jacob began, "Here we are. Alone." A slight color of red flooded his tan cheeks and his breathing was labored and heavy.

"So what's with the shoe fabric?" I asked mildly.

Jacob laughed a little. "It's…a long story," he answered sheepishly.

"You're, a wolf shape-shifter, aren't you?" I offered quietly. This is where Cassandra's information was really helping me out. Jacob nearly jumped out of his skin and he froze.

"You guys have 6 minutes left!" hollered Rebecca from the other side of the door.

"How do you know?" he croaked out. I shrugged modestly and said that it was a long story.

"You wouldn't believe me for one second," I told him simply, "Take my word for it." Jacob nodded and just accepted my weak excuse.

"If you didn't want Wolf-boy kissing you," he weakly began, "Then, it's cool. I'll understand. I mean, its kind of creepy isn't it?"

"I'm not kissing a wolf," I smartly replied as I folded my arms, "I'm kissing a freakishly tall boy right now."

"Hey!" Jacob quipped as he leaned closer, "I'm not that tall to be considered that!" I giggled as he narrowed his eyes at me. In one swift move, Jacob wrapped his arms around me and left a few inches between us. "You're toast," he breathed before closing the gap between us. Unlike the frozen, icy blast of a kiss from Jasper, Jacob's lips were warm and soft. It was rather dizzying since his warmth was overpowering and endless. My head felt light and my eyes began to flicker slightly before closing for a while.


	11. Chapter 11: Abracadabra? No Way!

Chapter 11: Abracadabra? No Way!

It had been weeks since Jacob had kissed me but I could still feel that dizzying warmth he left me with. Apparently, his kiss left me so dizzy that he actually had to help me to my feet as we left the room. Rebecca couldn't help but just smile slightly as Jacob supported my limp form back to the Teen Hangout room. Jeez…

* * *

Cold water parched my throat as it ran down the neck of the bottle I was drinking. In a pathetic attempt to exercise outside of school, I was rigorously dancing in our guest room to high energy music. Each song I basically made up routines on the fly as I kept up with the music. Typically, I would happily avoided this whole action for an entire week except my P.E. class decided to assign our class exercise logs for Spring Break. Yuck.

Placing my water bottle down, I hit play again on my iPod to start the new song. Caramelldansen, the English version, filled my headphones instantly. And for some odd reason, this picture of an anime who did a quirky dance in their club meetings popped into my mind. Thanks YouTube, for the interesting things one could find…

In mid-sashay, Bobby knocked on the door to get my attention. "Boy," he remarked as he studied my sweaty face, "They really don't believe kids these days when they say they're going to have fun at the beach over Spring Break."

"It's because most would probably go to other countries, abuse substances, and probably sit around doing nothing," I commented as I wiped the sweat away from my face. "So what's up?"

Bobby smiled amusedly before answering, "Funny but Alice wanted to see you right now. She said it was something important." About what? I hadn't interacted with Jasper for about a month and I hadn't seen anything in her vision happening to me lately.

Alice was seated on one of the porch chairs outside the door. She uncrossed her legs and smiled brightly up at me. "Doing your exercise log?" she asked as she studied my appearance, "Edward mentioned that-apparently he thinks he can fake it." I raised my eyebrows slightly and Alice added, "Well because he can move quickly, and you knew that obviously."

"So," I began as I took the seat next to her, "I take it that this isn't just a social call about the logs. What's up?" Alice started fumbling around in her purse and produced a hardbound copy of _Twilight_. She handed it to me and urged me to open it up. Instead of seeing Bella's statement about her theories on Edward in the Prologue, all I saw were blank pages. Stunned, I continued to flip through the book, seeing nothing but empty space. I looked up at Alice in shock and she handed me two photographs.

"I took these of the text when I left to find a copy of that book you mentioned to Jasper," Alice explained as I flipped through the photographs. Sure enough, there was writing scrawled on the pages of the book. "Once I returned to Washington," Alice continued, "I checked the pages while stopping for gas. The words were starting to fade as if the printer ran out of ink. When I got into Forks, the words were completely obliterated." My breathing slowed at her words. No way. That was completely impossible. There was no way…

"I can guarantee you that I didn't manipulate the book in any way," Alice reassured me, "If that's what you're concerned about." I smiled weakly at her.

"No, I never thought that you did anything to the book, really," I quickly added, "But how does that make sense?" Alice shrugged her shoulders and held her hands up in confusion.

"Even that," she answered slowly, "I cannot understand or explain at all. My theory is you entered Forks and perhaps your burning passion against the book triggered it somehow to come to life. I know that it doesn't make much sense but it's-"

"Plausible?" I finished for her.

"Yes."


	12. Chapter 12: Wolf on My Bed? Pt1

I'm breaking this one out into 2 parts guys.

* * *

Chapter 12: Wolf on My Bed?

Alice's bone-chilling revelations left me feeling even more worn out than ever. The hot water from my shower didn't help clear the confusion that was swirling in my mind. How could words printed on a page just disappear in one town? Nothing seemed to match up at all.

Several moments later, I emerged from the bathroom fully dressed and ready to work on something I would rather do this break: setting up a recording session for a web show with Sonny. It was a sort of joke since neither of us liked some of the web shows out there and we agreed to try to make our own. I took a step out from my bathroom only to see (I'm not kidding you) the same russet colored wolf from my dream, lying on my bed.

My open window with the curtains blowing around indicated that the wolf came in through my window. That seemed impossible because I was on the second floor and my window had been latched closed before I left to shower. My blood ran cold as I contemplated how to get out of my room before the wolf woke up and decided to maul me to my death. I shut the window as quietly as I could and started to inch my way to the door. Only problem was, the wolf had woken up from the noise and was now sitting at the door looking up at me. But the funny thing was, the look in its eyes was not one of a determined factor of killing his prey. It was a look of a loyal, innocent dog almost. Its ears pricked up and I saw, to my horror, a pair of my panties in its mouth. Oh man…

The wolf stood up from its sitting position and pressed its paws against me. The entire heavy weight of the wolf was incredible-it completely knocked me to the floor. Just as I thought the wolf wanted to rip my face off, the hairy face of a wolf had been replaced by one familiar Native American boy's face.

My panties dangled from his lips tauntingly and my faced reddened. Oh lucky me…

"Jacob," I forced his name out through my parched throat, "You scared me back there." Jacob removed my underwear from his mouth and looked apologetically at me. He helped me to my feet and dangled my underwear from his two fingers.

"So," he slyly began, "Why are there hearts on your boyshorts?" I reached out my hand to grab them back but he held them above his head. Darn it.

"You aren't being funny at all," I angrily remarked as I tried to jump up to reach his hand, "Why were you looking though my drawers?"

"I asked you first," Jacob solemnly replied as he looked me in the eye.

"Because my aunt bought them for me and they didn't have ones without designs on them," I answered dryly as he handed them back to me. Immediately, they were tossed back into the proper drawer. "Why were you snooping through my drawers?"

Jacob smiled a little at that complete with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Well, your underpants can tell a lot about a person."

I put my hands on my hips and glared up at him. "Yeah but I don't go digging around in your drawers to figure out what your underwear says about you," I retorted darkly.

"You aren't an easy girl to read," Jacob confessed as he sat on my window seat, "A guy tends to investigate things to understand a girl better."

"So what do my underpants say about me?" I smartly asked him as I folded my arms across my chest.


	13. Chapter 13: Crazy in His Head for Me

This is the Part 2 of Chapter 12. Sorry its been so long- I've been trying to enjoy my summer before I head off to college in the fall.

* * *

Chapter 13: Crazy in His Head for Me

Jacob smirked as he folded his arms. He eyed me solemnly as I stared him down, waiting for his answer.

"Well Lara," he began, "I'm getting the feeling that you don't share your feelings too often with others. You wear them on your sleeve but keep them hidden. Is it because of your parents' situation?" I let out a breath that I had been holding in. Did he plan on becoming a shrink in his adult life? Sheesh…

"You would after having people let you down big time," I sighed grimly, "My dad showed where his loyalties and priorities lie and he couldn't do anything right to help my mother. She's in a mental ward in an asylum because of her bipolar disorder. Makes me wonder why he bothered to even try to start a family in the first place." Jacob's eyes softened and I felt his muscled arms wrap around me tightly. He gave me a long hug before wrapping his long fingers around my hand.

"Listen Lara," he replied, "I'm sorry to hear about your situation but I think your current guardians seem like good people. I mean, it's not the same but my dad really had trouble getting over my mom's death. Then he ended up in a wheelchair and my sisters and I had trouble trying to cope with the change." He leaned in closer and studied our intertwined hands. "You do know that I'm here for you correct?" he told me suddenly.

"Yeah, I knew that," I replied warily, "Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to let you know, that's all," he trailed off. "But…I was wondering if you liked me. I mean, more than that jerk who kept hounding you in the coffee shop?"

I nodded as a small smile crept across my face. "Ha! That's no contest right there," I chortled, "You're like the awesome best guy friend I was never able to find back in my old town of Hollister." Jacob beamed at my words and his other hand felt for mine.

"So uh, you knew that I was a wolf shape-shifter," he added clumsily, "But how? Are you psychic too? Or do you have sources?" Oh boy. How to explain to Jacob the sad explanation I received from Jasper and Alice?

"You're not going to believe me," I muttered unhappily. Jacob took a seat on my window seat and prompted me to tell him.

"Try me," he replied confidently, "I'm open to anything." I settled uneasily into my desk chair as I started from the beginning. Starting with the fact that I lived in trend-crazy Hollister, a town hooked on _Twilight_, a fantasy series by Stephanie Meyer. What Twilight entailed from Bella Swan's move back to Washington, meeting the Cullens, and reuniting with Jacob. As I explained, Jacob sat patiently, completely engrossed in my tale. Then I told of my hatred of the series and its nonsense in Hollister. I watched Jacob's face as I explained how I figured out that my reality had meshed with the fantasy world of _Twilight_ when I met Jasper and his eccentric family. His body shook slightly and his eyes darkened. I froze since Cass had warned me about a wolf shape-shifter's volatile temper and behavior at the mention of vampires. Seeing me pause nervously, Jacob's harsh, cold expression changed to an apologetic, sheepish look and he begged me to continue.

"…So you see," I finished, "I'm actually not in tune to the whole rivalry like everyone else is. I'm just a girl trapped in a different reality that I never thought was possible." I studied his face and cringed slightly. "Have I confused you enough?" Jacob shook his head no and he stretched his long arms out in front of him.

"Wow. I'm intrigued by your tale, really!" he replied cheerfully, "I hope you know that I completely believe you. But is there really a book series out about all this drama unfolding here in Forks and La Push?" I nodded feebly and Jacob pumped his fist in the air. "Sweet! I'm famous, well kinda," he cheered excitedly.

I folded my arms and smiled as I watched his reaction to the news. Unlike Jasper who had frozen and acted like a deer in headlights, Jacob seemed cool with being serialized in a book series. "Actually, you have lots of female fans in my former reality," I added lightly. Jacob's eyes widened and he cheered like crazy.

"Woohoo! I'm sorta famous and I've got female fans," he cried out happily, "Now that I can't argue you with. Yeah!" As I watched Jacob celebrate, I couldn't help but gloomily remember Alice's prophesy. I was going to be confronted to choose just one guy. Jacob was awesome and I was enjoying the time spent with him. But I knew that my actions could screw up the books, meaning that certain events that were written to happen, wouldn't happen. As for Jasper, he wasn't even human to me. I couldn't even believe that Alice would let his eyes wander onto another girl, let alone a human girl. I could only hope that Judgment Day would come later, much later…


	14. Chapter 14: I Don't Want You To Want Me

Chapter 14: I Don't Want You To Want Me

Spring Break came to a gloomy close and I was stuck back in a stuffy classroom once again. Finals were fast approaching and soon Emmett and Rosalie would be graduating.

To relieve stress, I found myself doing a charcoal sketch of Jacob from memory. I was having sucky luck with the sticks since a few of them were too short from past uses. One actually crumbled as it touched the paper! After going through 7 sticks, I finally found a strudy, long one to use. The strong cheekbones, his fiery eyes, the short, stick-up-ish hair. He seemed to eye me warily as he started to come together. As I began to shade his face, a dark shadow loomed over my page and I tried to hold in my groan.

"That's a nice drawing," Jasper's drawl broke the silence, "But why...someone like him?" Jasper's tone stressed heavy irritation on the words someone like him. Cass's words about the tensions between vampires and wolf-shapeshifters continued to ring vividly in my mind.

"Jacob's a good friend of mine," I replied as I continued to work. Jasper took a seat near me and put his hands in his pockets.

"Did you like the daisy I left you?" he began quietly. I looked up from sketching and blinked. He had to be kidding me right? He left me the daisy on Valentine's Day? Part of me was grateful that it was him and not Mike but the other half felt super annoyed.

"Oh yeah," I muttered, "Thanks. I was afraid it was from Mike." Jasper smiled a little and I faked one. I put down the piece of charcoal and walked over to wash my hands. Jasper cleared his throat and shifted in his seat to face my form at the sink.

"Are you busy on Saturday?" he slowly asked. I turned off the taps and dried my hands before turning to face him. Didn't he get that I wasn't returning the feelings? That I wasn't looking for a relationship at this moment? And what in the world was he doing defying Alice?

"No Jasper," I grimly told him. "Listen, you're a nice guy but I'm not interested okay? I've seen you try to talk to me more than Alice. Shouldn't you be caring about her?" Jasper stood up from his chair and his face was flushed a deep red.

"So-sorry," he stammered as he turned to leave, "I'm guessing you like someone else?"

I hesitated at his words. Jacob was sweet but I certainly couldn't screw up the book history by getting involved. According Cass who told me that Jacob was supposed to fall for Bella's future daughter, I certainly doubted that Jacob needed another girl to watch over due to imprinting on her.

"No Jasper," I patiently replied, "I'm thinking in terms of the books that Alice showed you. I can't get involved because outside of Forks, the history will be rewritten thanks to me. You need to stay loyal to Alice." Jasper glanced at me mournfully and he opened his mouth to speak then closed it.

"Just do this for my sake," I asked him kindly, "I want you to be with Alice. As a matter of fact, why not surprise her on Saturday or something?" Jasper's sad expression brightened up and he smiled at my suggestion.

"That's a great idea Lara!" he replied happily, "I'll do that. But will you be all right?" I nodded. I wasn't looking for love or for a boyfriend. I was happy to stay single for a while.

"Don't worry about me," I promised him, "I'm going to be just fine."

He wrapped his cold hand around mine and he quickly planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Thank you Lara," he whispered, "Meeting you was a pleasure and I hope all turns out all right for you." I smiled politely then I saw something dart past the Art room door out of the corner of my eye. It was dark, tall, and muscular.


	15. Chapter 15: Say Goodbye I'll Be Okay

Chapter 15: Say Goodbye I'll Be Okay

Sonny and I cranked through our English review notes in the flooded light of a lamp in the library. Since our teacher had warned that she wasn't planning on making it easy, we decided to not take any chances.

Sonny pushed her reading glasses up on her nose as she peered at the correct answer key for the grammar exercise in the book. She grimaced as she set the book down and pushed it away. She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

"This is getting to be a pain," groaned Sonny as she set her glasses back on her nose, "I've done 10 of these freaking grammar exercises and my head is killing me." I agreed as I set aside my notes on the last book we had read.

"We can call it a day," I replied calmly, "I'd really like to get home before June decides that I've been abducted by aliens." Sonny tried to suppress her giggle and she looked around to make sure no one was looking at us. We were in a pretty quiet part of the library since all the computers were up in the front. There was some small groups quizzing each other and a single girl was flipping through her flashcards.

"Do you need my mom to give you a ride home?" Sonny whispered as she stuffed her book into her bag. I was about to answer when I felt a huge hand clap me on the shoulder. I looked up to see Jacob towering over us and looking straight at Sonny.

"I'm gonna take her home," he replied quietly as he helped me out of my chair, "Besides, we need to talk." His tone became heavy and monotone as soon as he uttered the last sentence. This was going to be real fun. Not.

"You drive?" I skeptically asked as he held the door open for me, "But you're 16!" Jacob's grim face broke slightly as an arrogant, proud expression spread across his face.

"I started when I was 15 1/2," he boasted, "What? You haven't started yet?" I shook my head no. June would rather commit herself to an asylum than sit in the passenger's seat while I drove. She wasn't pressing for it and I honestly could have cared less. He turned the keys in ignition and started the awkward drive home.

"So, uh," I lamely began, "What brings you here?" Jacob clenched the wheel tightly in his hands and his eyes became sharp.

"I felt like seeing you again," he dryly replied, "What were you doing in the Art Room with one of them?" He stressed emphasis on the word 'them' with such great disdain.

"I was working on a charcoal sketch of you and Jasper came in to see me," I began slowly, "He tried to ask me out but I told him that it wouldn't work out." Jacob's tense muscles relaxed at my words. The harsh edge to his eyes softened and he breathed a sign of relief.

"So its not him you want?" Jacob persisted. I shook my head no.

"I can't return his feelings and I certainly can't screw up events in the book," I softly added. My last words had failed to click with Jacob for he perked up.

"Is it me?" he questioned lightly, "Come on! You made a sketch of me, that's a sign." I smiled brokenly and hung my head. This was hurt him more than it hurt me. Maybe even more than when Bella told Jacob she'd never go with him.

"No Jacob," I grimly replied, "I can't have you either. I can't screw up the events in the book or everything that does exist will be thrown into chaos." Jacob bit his lip to hold back the pain that I just gave him.

"Jacob, I would happily date you if I wasn't a real-live girl from another reality," I sighed unhappily, "I need things to go the way they were written. Can you promise to follow through with what I'm going to tell you?" Jacob wheeled expertly into my driveway, unbuckled his seat belt, and turned to face me.

"I want you more than I could have ever wanted anyone else," Jacob mournfully told me, "But for you, I'll do whatever it is you tell me to do. I'm listening." I collected the facts that Cass had fed me about _Breaking Dawn_ in my mind and took a deep breath.

"Forgive Bella," I began, "She needs your support more than anything else at this time. You will fall for Bella's daughter Renesmee and imprint on her. Protect her for her life will be threatened in the early stages of her life." Jacob stared at me flabbergasted.

"There's no way I could fall for a blood-sucking creep's off-" Jacob began to say but he abruptly cut his words short as I shot him a look. He sighed heavily and leaned back into his seat. "All right then Lara," he answered after a long pause, "I promise I'll follow through. But Renesmee better be pretty!" I chuckled and shook my head.

"Trust me," I reassured him, "She's going to be a knockout. She'll put me to shame, that's for sure." Jacob shook his head no and leaned in closer.

"Lara," he breathed, "You're a quirky beauty. I doubt that anyone can rival you in that category." I smiled and thanked him. Out of sudden impulse, I closed the gap between us and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Good bye Jacob," I told him as I exited his car.


	16. Chapter 16: All Things Come to An End

Chapter 16: All Things Come to an End

Most girls would probably cry their head off after saying goodbye to someone they really cared about especially if it was a boy. I instead wrote a melody that was acoustic guitar and piano heavy. Sure it was killing me to say those words to Jacob but I couldn't throw the books into chaos.

School was a blur as finals finished up. I slapped palms with Sonny as we completed our final day in English together.

"We need to hang out this summer," sighed Sonny as she braided her wavy hair, "I'm gonna hate being stuck here all by myself here in this boring wasteland." I agreed. June had mentioned that she wanted to visit California this summer. She even said that I could see Cass again. Bobby had booked our tickets for the week of June 4, meaning that I'd be leaving right after school the next day.

Mike stared over at us and stood up from the desk he was sitting on top of. Sonny threw him a glare and he quickly took a seat. "So when are you leaving?" she asked me as she slowly turned to face me.

"Tomorrow," I replied as I leaned back in my seat, "Do you want me to bring you a souvenir? Sonny shook her head no and stretched her arms outward. The bell finally rang, ending another long year of busy work. Thank goodness.

June continued to dart back and forth from room to room as she packed her belongings for our trip the next day. I came in through the front door and dodged her as I made my way up the stairs to my room. As soon as I opened the door, I saw a white envelope sitting on my bed with my name written on it. My backpack fell with a thud next to my desk and I picked up the envelope reluctantly.

A cold pawprint pendant slithered out of the envelope and a note began to fall toward my bed. I caught the fluttering piece of paper and read it.

_Lara, _

_I'm hoping that you like this. Even though it didn't work out between us, I still want to remain friends. Good luck trying to sort out the difficulties in your life. I'll be here if you need me._

_Jacob_

I smiled as I put down the letter and unclasped the pendant. As soon as I put it on, the cold metal became warm. Maybe I imagined it, but I swear I could hear a wolf's lonely howl in the distance. I closed my hand around the pendant and sighed.

_Don't worry Jacob. You won't be alone for long..._


	17. Epilogue

Prologue

Walking down the street of my former hometown seemed so foreign. Everything looked the same but yet it didn't feel the same to me. My hand gripped the handle of the ice cream parlor and I started to pull it toward me when I heard one familiar voice.

"Oh my God!" cried out Cass as she ran up and hugged me. I let go of the handle and gave her a proper hug. "I can't believe it! You're here after so long!" she bubbled happily. She let go and guided me inside the ice cream parlor.

Cass settled into her high chair at the window table with her huge Vanilla Blood Delight sundae before her. One of Hollister's many _Twilight_ related products. Yep. I took a sip of my Lemony Lime Acid Smoothie as she began chatting.

"So how was your school year?" she began as she played with her silver spoon. I shrugged it off since nothing really happened. Well, except for the fact that I met Jasper and his eccentric family and Jacob sidled into my life. Cass fiddled with her tote bag strap and began rummaging through it. I raised my eyebrows slightly since she typically wasn't this distracted. Maybe all the hype around this town's trends had gotten to her. After 2 minutes, she sat up with _Eclipse_ in her right hand.

"I've already read this Lara," she slowly began as she held up the book for me to see. I nodded, having no idea where this was going. Cass flipped to the last few chapters and mused out loud.

"It's funny because as I was re-reading it," she noted, "I saw...your name in this book. I know, that seems hokey but you fit right into the book. Nothing happened between you and Bella but so much did between Jasper and Jacob. But it was relatively minor, like you were just a classmate and friend." She paused and studied my expression for any reaction.

"Isn't that just weird?"

I smiled slowly as I replied, "No kidding Cass. My life is already weird."


End file.
